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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Ep21: "So, is that why you need justification and not me?"

by Hanjae

"So, is that why you need justification and not me?"

This
is such a heartbreaking question from Choi Young, and as with so many
other issues raised in Faith, there is no right or wrong. Both Young and
Gongmin's arguments for the best way of dealing with Deok Heung are
legitimate; they each have their own responsibilities to consider, after
all. What is certain is that Gongmin's words may have been well-meant
and logical from a king's point of view, but he would come to regret
them when he eventually realizes the effect it had upon Young.

Gongmin
presents a convincing argument for his decision to let Deok Heung go
until he has gained the agreement of the council to confront him (and
thus Ki Chul as well as Son Yoo) directly. Once and for all, the council
needed to decide whether they were going to support the king of Goryeo
or cower in the face of the Yuan emperor - they were going to run into
this issue again and again in the future if they did not solve it now.
As someone who had finally come into his own as a real king, it stands
to reason that he stepped up as a leader rather than hiding behind Choi
Young's protection. "Until when should I continue hiding behind you?"
Perhaps Gongmin even thought this was a way of relieving Young of some
of his great burden, recognizing that previously Young had "fought in
[his] stead to protect [him]." Rather than throwing Young out there with
an order to kill Deok Heung and then forcing him to face the
consequences, Gongmin is trying to think differently. Creating a plan to
trap Deok Heung to give himself ample justification for attack rather
than rushing headlong into battle (as Young suggested) showed maturity -
the very opposite of the flustered and mentally fragile Gongmin that
Young was greeted with after Noguk's kidnapping. This was, after all,
the grown-up Gongmin that Young wanted.

Young's argument is
equally understandable; from his viewpoint, the king is making an
incredibly foolish decision to allow Deok Heung to go free without any
dependable way of reeling him back in. The comparison of the king
throwing the bait without a fishing rod is quite apt; the scholars have
shown time and time again that they are undependable and are more likely
to bow to Yuan than stand against the onslaught. To Young, it must have
seemed like the perfect opportunity to avenge the Queen and save Eun
Soo was wasted, however logical Gongmin's reasons for needing
justification sounded. Gongmin's words at this point must have seemed
like adding insult to injury; "Until when should I continue hiding
behind you?" No, Gongmin wanted justification and the agreement of the
councilors - Young himself must wait on the sidelines, unable to deal
directly with Deok Heung or even engage with Ki Chul's forces. In
effect, he was forbidden from fulfilling his role of protecting either
the king OR Eun Soo. Young is perceptive; perhaps he even foresaw that
the council's indecisiveness would leave him as the sole barrier between
Ki Chul's army and the unprotected Gongmin.

It is no surprise,
then, that Young's weary statement to Gongmin that he accepted his
command was followed by the first dropping of his sword. At a point when
Young was already conflicted over the clashing interests of Gongmin and
Eun Soo, the king himself forbade him from either avenging Eun Soo's
poisoning or forcing Deok Heung to provide an antidote. For a man who
saw only his worth as a protector, the fact that he was unable to
protect his woman and was then ordered to be "patient" and wait on the
sidelines was abhorrent to him - as far as he was concerned, the king no
longer needed his protection, but official justification. Gongmin only
realizes the effect of his decisions on Young later, when he speaks to
Noguk of his regret over placing yet another heavy burden on Young. He
may have saved the lives of many subjects by holding back his forces
this time, but had unwittingly sacrificed Young to do so.